Loire Chateau Tickets

We were there in May 2 years ago and just bought ours at each chateau....no problem. Make sure you include the gardens of Villandry.......gorgeous.

We just bought them from the concierge at our hotel each morning.

You can buy a combination ticket from the TI and it saves you a little. The downside is that if you run out of time or simply change your mind about which chateaux you want to visit, you'll have paid for more than you actually use.

I'm not sure how long the combination ticket is good for. If you or some of your friends plan to be back in France soon, the unused portion might still be good -- but don't quote me on that, it's just a guess.

In terms of buying on site when you arrive, that's probably just fine. There won't be a huge long line like there is at Versailles.

I have been to area twice.. we just bought tickets at entrance.. there is really often no line or only a few people in front of you.. no need to pre purchase tickets. Both of my visits were in the summertime.. so high season.

There is no compelling reason to purchase tickets in advance for the châteaux of the Loire. The only line I have ever seen was at Château Chenonceau and even then the ticket lines moved very fast. In recent years there has been tickets offered which combines several châteaux but the savings are very small and there always the possibility that you will not actually visit all of the locations for which you have purchased tickets meaning money wasted.

Just curious but does TI mean Office de Tourisme?

I agree with Pat. We went in August a couple years ago and bought tickets at the entrance for Chenonceau when it opened and there was no line.

I was in Loire that exact time of year, twice. We just bought them at the entrance. For most of them we arrived at opening time and had gardens by ourselves.

I walked up and bought them at the Chateau. Generally there are no lines, at least not when I was there in September. I was on a bicycle so I didn't really want to buy tickets ahead in case I decided I was done for the day.

All the answers are so very helpful. We'll just plan to walk up and buy them at the chateaus. Villandry gardens are definitely on our list. We LOVE gardens! To the previous question from Tocard about my use of TI (aka Tourist Information). This is the term that Rick uses and I copied him. "Our bad" if the correct use is Office de Tourisme.
Merci beaucoup à tous!

Since you like gardens, Chenonceau would be another "don't miss". The chateau is a favorite of many.

For those who particularly like gardens, the three châteaux which have the most interesting gardens are:

1. Villandry - which is the only reason really to go there.

2. Chaumont - the annual garden competition has become quite famous. Teams from around France come to develop individually a small part of the château grounds and a top prize is given to the best design and execution.

3. Cheverny - Not only one of the few furnished châteaux, but the apprentice garden has quite a story. The owner, in conjunction with a school in Blois, began an apprentice gardening program for disadvantaged youths, a program that would take them off of the streets of Paris and give them a profession and a means by which they could support themselves. The apprentices working for about 1 year on the garden and most graduated with work experience and a career. You can see what they did, following the plans of a landscape architect and the direction of a nearby college, and it is impressive.